


Finally

by someofthissomeofthat11011



Category: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 18:53:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14526954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someofthissomeofthat11011/pseuds/someofthissomeofthat11011
Summary: A few weeks after Martin outed him, Simon is picking up some groceries for Nora when some kids from school spot him. A random shopper in the store intervenes and Simon discovers something. Alternate Blue reveal.





	Finally

“Oregano, oregano, oregano,” Simon muttered to himself over and over again. This was his second time braving Publix on a crowded Sunday, all because he had arrived home without oregano and Nora had stared him down until he walked right back out the door.

He turned down the spice aisle and was looking at all the names of all the spices. He was a little embarrassed by how long it took him to realize the spices were in alphabetical order. Then he was shocked by how many different brands of oregano there were. Nora hadn’t given him specific instructions regarding a brand or even a size, so he picked one that looked kind of like some of the other spices they had at home.

As he made his way back down the aisle, three burly football players rounded the corner and clearly took notice of him. The only one Simon recognized was Aaron.

“Check it out,” Aaron said, motioning towards Simon. “It’s butt boy. Wha-wha in the butt!”

“Simon, am I turning you on?” one of the other football players asked him.

“Simon Spier, more like Simon Queer,” the third guy taunted.

Simon wondered if he should turn around and try to escape through the other end of the aisle or if they would leave him alone if he ignored them. He didn’t understand why all the football players seemed to have a personal vendetta against him. He didn’t even know them. Aaron, he supposed, he could kinda understand. He had gotten him suspended.

Ignoring them was apparently the wrong thing to do, which was indicated when one of the football players pushed him up against a shelf filled with different types of flour. His hand caressed Simon’s cheek and he brought his lips so close to Simon’s. Aaron started chanting ‘Simon Queer’ lightly behind them while the other football player started chanting ‘kiss him, kiss him.’

Simon closed his eyes, wishing that someone would come to his rescue. In every other aisle, he was practically playing a game of twister to get from one side of the aisle to the other. But now, when he actually wanted it to be busy, there wasn’t a single person in sight. This is not how he wanted to have his first kiss with a guy. He’d always imagined it would be this really special and romantic moment. He’d thought that after years of hiding who he was, he’d find someone that he could finally be himself with; someone that he could share this meaningful moment with.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” A woman asked just in time. Simon didn’t open his eyes until he felt the pressure disappear.

When he looked around, he would have laughed if it weren’t such a serious moment. A middle-aged, dark-skinned woman who was undeniably under five feet tall had the three really tall, over six-foot at least, football players cowering under her glare.

“Cody, right?” She said staring one of them down. “I’m sure your mom would love to hear about what you’ve been up to here. I happen to have your mom’s number from PTA meetings. Should I give her a call?” The woman held up her phone threateningly.

On some unspoken signal, all three of them turned and ran. It felt like such a win to Simon, but he knew they wouldn’t be down for long.

“Are you alright?” The woman asked him.

“Yeah. I… thanks for stepping in,” Simon said. He felt so embarrassed that some random mom in the supermarket had to come to his rescue.

“It’s nothing,” she said quickly. She seemed to be looking Simon up and down as if she were assessing him for injuries. “I’d want someone to intervene if kids were doing that to my son because he’s gay.”

“Oh. You have a son who is…” Simon didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t want to sound like he was making assumptions, because honestly, what are the odds?

“Yeah. He’s a really good kid. He’s probably a grade or two above you,” she explained.

Simon frowned. No one was two grades above him which made him wonder how young she thought he was. “You seem pretty okay with him being… you know,” he said shyly.

“Gay?” She guessed. Simon nodded. He was still in the stage of avoiding his parents, so it almost made him feel simultaneously jealous and hopeful that someone else’s mom was this comfortable with them being gay. “I don’t think any mother’s first instinct is to throw a pride party. He doesn’t know this, but it took me a couple of days to accept it. When he told me, I was freaking out inside. All moms have this idea of how their little boy is going to grow up. We picture them growing up to be this perfect gentleman, meeting the woman of their dreams, getting married, giving us lots of cute, chubby grandchildren. It’s a lot to let go of, but at the end of the day, it’s his dream for his future that matters. And that he gives me grandkids someday. That’s very important too.”

Simon chuckled. “That’s quite the take on this,” he told her. Somehow, he had never considered that his coming out would be something that would impact his parent’s dreams for him. It made him rethink how they reacted when he came out.

“How are your parents taking it?” She asked him quietly.

He shifted uncomfortably. “They could be taking it better,” he admitted. “I think it’s just what you said. They have to get used to this new me.”

Her expression softened. “I’m sure they’ll come around,” she assured him. “I’ll have my son find you at school. I know he’s only told a handful of people but I’m sure he would be okay with reaching out to you.”

“Thanks,” Simon said uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure how he felt about someone’s mom making their son talk to him, but at the same time he could use all the friends he could get. With his friends ignoring him, he’d felt more lonely and isolated by his coming out than he had ever anticipated. He could use someone that wasn’t openly shunning him.

“This’ll be great. My little blueberry will finally have a friend that he can talk to about this stuff. I know he tries to pretend he isn’t lonely, but I know better,” she said sadly.

“Blueberry?” Simon asked.

“It’s a nickname I adapted for him. Do not tell him I told you this,” she warned. “When he was four years old, he used to refer to himself as ‘Blue’ and for a couple of days he dressed in these bright blue pajamas. His father and I started calling him our blueberry. He would be mortified if he knew I told you this.”

“I won’t tell him,” Simon said. His head was reeling. Could it be a coincidence? Could there be another gay student in the school who happened to have gone by the same nickname? He knew before he finished the thought that it couldn’t be. This couldn’t be a coincidence.

The universe had a sick sense of humor, because Simon suddenly realized that he was talking to Blue’s mother. This was the woman that had had the Every-Time-Including-Oral talk with Blue

“Oh, speak of the devil,” she said with a big smile on her face. A look of pure affection settled on her face.

“Found the eggs mom,” a familiar voice said. Simon froze. He knew that voice. Why did he know that voice?

Simon finally mustered the courage to turn around and he came face to face with Bram Greenfeld. Simon couldn’t have talked if he wanted to.

“Honey, I just ran into… I’m so sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.” She looked at Simon apologetically.

“Mom, this is Simon Spier,” Bram supplied.

“You two know each other?” She asked. A look of horror settled on her face as if she realized that she had made a terrible mistake.

“We have a couple of classes together,” Bram explained. He looked at her curiously. “What’s wrong.”

“Well, I’ll let you two catch up,” she said quickly. “Take your time…” She looked like she wanted to say something else, but like she didn’t know what would make this better.

“What was that about?” Bram asked curiously.

Simon was quiet for a minute. He contemplated pretending he didn’t know, but he was pretty sure that Bram’s mom would fill him in if Simon didn’t tell him. “We had a nice little chat about you,” Simon finally managed.

“Oh? Whatever she told you, probably isn’t true,” he said. “I swear I’m not a complete nerd that spends my life doing homework. I’m just really good at convincing my mom that I am.”

Simon rolled his eyes. Mr. Wise had given him enough of Bram’s papers for him to know that Bram was very dedicated to his schoolwork. “No, that’s not what she told me. Though I don’t believe for a second that you aren’t one of those kids that like doing homework,” Simon teased. It was almost like he was stalling… which, he supposed he was. It was a lot to wrap his head around.

“Then what was it?” Bram asked. He was starting to get anxious. Simon was acting weird, which given how he usually acted, was saying something.

“She didn’t know we were in the same grade. I think she thought I was a freshman. And these guys were harassing me… And I dunno, she was just trying to help,” Simon ranted.

“What did she say?” Bram’s voice was deathly quiet that time.

“She told me you’re gay,” Simon whispered.

“Oh.” Bram didn’t say anything else.

Simon began to get antsy. “I won’t tell anyone,” he promised. “But…” He cut himself out. He was going to say that she mentioned his little nickname, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t ask Bram if he were really Blue. Simon knew better than anyone what it felt like to be unexpectedly outed, and the last thing he wanted was for Bram to feel that.

“Okay,” Bram said. He voice sounded like he was choking.

“Look, seriously. We can pretend that I have no idea. This doesn’t have to change anything,” Simon assured him.

“I think it does.” Bram studied Simon for a minute. “What else did my mom tell you?”

Simon fidgetted uncomfortably. In a split second he made a decision. A feeling of calm settled over him even before he got the words out. “She just said she thought it would be a good idea if we hung out and talked,” Simon said. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so if you’re not okay with that, I understand. I know you’re not out at school… though I’m not sure how aware your mom is of that.”

Bram chuckled. “Yeah. I told her I told Garrett and she seems to think that means everyone knows.” He shook his head. “I actually think that might be a good idea. Garrett tries, but he just doesn’t get me, but I’m sure you know what that’s like.”

Simon nodded, though he didn’t quite understand what Bram meant. He had never given his friends a chance to get him before they started ignoring him.

Bram clearly picked up on that. “Do you mean to tell me that they instantly understood what it was like to be gay when you came out to them?” Bram asked shocked. He barely understood what it meant for him to be gay, he couldn’t imagine anyone else understanding it.

“Not exactly, because they didn’t know. Well, Abby did, but no one else,” Simon said. He stared at the bland tiles so that he wouldn’t have to see Bram’s expression.

“They didn’t know?” he confirmed.

“Not until that post.” Simon shrugged. He was trying to pretend it wasn’t a big deal, but it was. Everyday, he felt like something more was taken from him because he was outed on someone else’s terms, not his own.

“Wow. That really sucks. I’m sorry,” Bram said sincerely.

Simon realized that this was the first genuine conversation he had with Bram since Halloween and he wasn’t even sure that counted.

“I’m not gonna lie. It freaking sucks,” Simon huffed. He thought he saw Bram smile, but in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

“So, I’ve gotta find my mom, but we really should hang out soon,” Bram told him seriously.

“We’ll figure something out at lunch tomorrow,” Simon agreed.

“See ya.”

Simon watched as Bram turned and retreated down the aisle. He hoped he hadn’t just made a colossal mistake. Part of him just didn’t feel ready for Bram to know that he was Jacques. He wanted to let the fire over Martin’s post die down before he pulled Bram into the flames with him.

The next day, Simon nervously spoke to Bram while they were waiting in line to get some food during lunch. Bram invited him over to do homework that night and Simon accepted. And he accepted the next day. And the next. And the next.

And then it was Friday. When Simon got home, he felt like he was going through withdrawal. He needed Bram in his life like he needed oxygen in his lungs. It was more than the fact that he was completely and ridiculously in love with Bram or the fact that being with Bram meant that he could stare at Bram instead of having to pull up a mental image to think about him while daydreaming. It wasn’t even the fact that being with Bram gave him the opportunity to learn the little things about Bram. Like how he looked when he was lost in a book he was reading, or how frustrated he got while working on a physics problem that made no sense to him. He learned that when Bram was really smiling and not just humoring someone, he crinkled up his eyes and dropped the guard that he usually had in place. From the one night he was invited to dinner, Simon even learned that, while Bram would eat just about anything, he preferred for different foods not to touch and would meticulously arrange food on his dinner plate so that everything had its own separate place.

But it wasn’t any of those things that made Simon crave time with Bram. It was how easily they connected. They were able to talk effortlessly, call each other out for making self-deprecating jokes, and most importantly, have someone to talk to about all the anxieties and struggles that come along with being gay. Simon had never quite understood what a ‘comfortable silence’ was until he experienced it with Bram. He didn’t feel like they needed to fill every second with conversation. Sometimes he felt like they communicated just as much with their silence as they did when they were talking.

Simon guessed, or maybe hoped, that Bram missed him as well because Saturday morning, Bram texted him: _Garrett and I are seeing a movie at noon. Interested?_

Simon didn’t hesitate with his response: _yes!_

While at the movies, they brushed hands when reaching for popcorn and held that contact a second longer than appropriate. They turned to each other to share a smile during funny scenes and to share surprised looks at plot twists in the movie. They let their arms rest next to each other so that they were almost touching and felt the electric current that was running between them, begging them to bridge the contact. So they did. They didn’t hold hands, but when Bram shifted in his seat so that his elbow was touching Simon’s, Simon didn’t move. And when Simon pretended to reach for popcorn and shifted his arm so it was fully resting against Bram’s, Bram didn’t move. They didn’t go further than that, though both of them wanted to. In the cover of the darkness, they both let go, just a little.

Then the movie ended, the lights came back on, and the magic was gone. They walked back to their cars with Garrett as a buffer between them and didn’t talk about what transpired in the theater.

Simon felt an overwhelming need to tell Bram who he was. Even after the movie, his arm felt tingly as if the electric current that had passed between them felt the loss too. At the same time, he didn’t want Bram to know he’d been sitting with this information all week and part of him was terrified that once Bram knew he was Jacques, he would be disappointed.

So he kept his mouth shut. And the weeks turned into months. Simon saw Bram nearly every day in that time. He kind of felt like they were dating, without officially calling it that. It wasn’t uncommon for Bram to stay for dinner at Simon’s and he was always quick to compliment Nora’s cooking. Simon’s parents loved Bram, they practically regarded him as a son, a fact that made Simon blush frequently. Even more common than that was for Simon and Bram to be sitting on the couch in Bram’s living room with takeout containers in their laps and their homework long forgotten as they talked.

Simon would never admit it out loud, but those moments were his favorite. He loved how Bram would tease him about the smallest things and how without fail he could get that smile from Bram - the smile that made Simon feel like his brain is mush and like the world revolved, not around the sun, but around that radiant smile.

As the school year came to an end, Simon began to feel a little panicked. It was hard enough to get through the school day and only see Bram in two of his classes. How was he supposed to go most of the summer when he didn’t even have the excuse of schoolwork to see him?

It was during one such moment of panic that Simon made a decision. He was going to tell Bram who he was. He couldn’t bear the thought of going one millisecond into the summer without knowing if and when he would get to see Bram again.

The opportunity presented itself when Bram’s mother had to go out of town, because Bram’s aunt had found herself in another spot of trouble with a guy. Simon couldn’t even bring himself to feel bad for Bram’s aunt, even if it was a shitty situation to have a guy steal practically everything of value to you.

Bram was throwing a huge party the Friday before the last day of school and he’d already invited Simon and Garrett to spend the night. Simon had instantly agreed and by some divine intervention, Garrett had refused because he’d already agreed to be a designated driver. It wasn’t that Simon didn’t like Garrett. In fact, he considered him one of his best friends. Garrett had gone through considerable, albeit unsuccessful, efforts to get Nick, Abby, and Leah to forgive him. Simon had long since abandoned any attempts. He’d understood it at first, but now it felt petty and childish. All the same, he appreciated that Garrett had put in the effort. No matter how much Simon liked Garrett, it didn’t change that he desperately needed the alone time with Bram.

Simon arrived over an hour early to drop off his stuff and help Bram set up. Bram had stopped by the Dollar Tree before he’d come home. He’d actually gone out of his way to go to the good one, so he’d gotten about fifty streamers in green and white, matching plastic cups, and assorted graduation decorations. They were in the middle of a heated debate about whether it was socially acceptable to bypass red solo cups for plastic cups that matched the decor when Garrett walked in.

He rolled his eyes at them. He had long since accepted that they were embarrassingly into one another, but neither of them were going to make a move. He’d had to literally bite down on his tongue on at least a hundred instances when they were being so obvious with their flirting that he was tempted to shout, ‘just kiss already.’

“We got a keg,” he said excitedly. Two guys from the soccer team walked in behind Garrett. Simon knew the taller one’s name was Jacob, but he couldn’t remember the other one.

“Don’t help,” Jacob huffed.

Bram glanced over. “Would you mind putting it on the patio outside the kitchen?” He asked as he ran after them to show them exactly where it should go.

The arrival of alcohol had effectively ended the debate on red solo cups and Simon didn’t see Bram again for nearly three hours.

After getting two beers in his system, Simon felt ready to tell Bram who he was. He was searching throughout the massive house for him when he bumped into something solid.

He looked up and his blood went cold when he noticed Aaron. He knew that neither Bram nor Garrett would never have invited him, but he supposed that was a hazard of inviting most of the junior and senior classes to an end of the year party. People that weren’t invited would inevitably show up. “I know you’re into guys, but I’m not interested,” Aaron said roughly. He was slurring his words and looked like bumping into Simon was the low point of his evening.

Simon tried to side step him, but Aaron pushed him against the wall. It was like deja vu of the day in Publix. “I said I’m not interested,” Aaron said angrily.

Simon wondered what he had done to make Aaron so angry. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bram. “I’m not interested either. Let me go,” Simon said. He tried to push against Aaron’s arm, but he couldn’t muster the strength to do much more other than annoy him.

“Not interested eh?” Aaron asked. “Why not? You got a boyfriend?”

Simon blushed a little and instinctively looked towards where Bram had been just moments before. He was standing there with a beer in hand, but wasn’t doing anything. He was watching Aaron just like a handful of other people were. “No,” Simon managed. His voice seemed to be wedged in his throat. He needed Bram now, more than ever and he was standing on the sidelines.

“That’s right. Because no one could possibly love you. No one would want to be with a dirty little fag,” Aaron taunted. He glared at Simon. “Say it.”

“W-what?” Simon asked uncertainly.

“I want to hear you say it. I want to hear you say that you are a dirty little fag and that no one will ever love you,” Aaron repeated.

Simon looked towards Bram one more time before he shut down. It was as much of a rejection as he needed. “I… I…” Simon couldn’t get the words out. It wasn’t just the humiliation, it was that part of him feared that if he said that out loud, he would lose the last bit of him that was holding onto the belief that Bram might care for him. He couldn’t lose that bit.

Aaron tightened his hold on Simon. “Say it,” he snarled.

“I’m a...” Simon said. Aaron pressed against him so hard, he felt like his chest was collapsing. He couldn’t have said anything if he wanted to.

“Get off of him,” someone said. A moment later the pressure was gone. Simon gasped for breath, but still felt like there was a heavy weight on his chest. “Are you alright?” Simon opened his eyes and for a moment, his vision was obscured by thick, black dots. Once they cleared he saw Bram in front of him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Simon grumbled. He was still a little bitter.

“Are you sure?” Bran asked.

Simon shrugged. “It’s nothing more than he usually does.” It wasn’t a lie exactly. This one just hurt a little more because Bram had been there to watch it and had done nothing.

Bram studied Simon for a minute. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have just stood there. I froze.”

“It’s not your fault. You have no obligation to help me.” Simon glanced around. “He probably would have just called you a fag too.” Somehow, the word sounded so much worse coming from him. “And we both know you’re not ready.” Simon wondered if Bram heard the double meaning in his words.

“You know,” Bram said surprised. At least Simon knew they were on the same page.

“Yeah. I’ve known for awhile now.” Simon looked away from him. They had long since lost the interest of the people around them; however, there was still the potential to be overheard. “I guess it doesn’t matter.”

Bram followed his gaze around the room and a resolute look settled on his face. “You know what? Screw it,” Bram said loudly. He stretched his arms out and span in a circle. “I say screw it!” At least a dozen people looked towards them, clearly hoping for an exciting fight or something like that. Bram didn’t care if he was going to disappoint them. He pulled Simon close to him and kissed him gently.

They didn’t kiss for long and when they broke apart it was to whistles and lots of cheering. Bram could hardly believe that he had been so impulsive, but he’d had a lot to drink to give him courage to tell Simon he was Blue and that made him a little… okay a lot less reserved than he normally would have been.

Bram was suddenly aware of the people staring at him. He didn’t know most of them by name, which somehow made him more self-conscious. “Do you want to talk?” Bram asked.

“Actually, I’d like to do more of that,” Simon said staring pointedly at Bram’s lips. Bram wasn’t the only one who’s inhibitions were relaxed because of alcohol. He didn’t think it was the alcohol that made him feel like Bram had some seriously magical lips.

Bram smiled. “I’d like that too… but maybe not here?”

“Oh, right. Where to?” He asked.

“Follow me.” Bram extended his hand and Simon hesitated a moment before he took it and followed Bram to his room.

The door closed behind them and suddenly muted the sounds of music and talking coming from the party. “So you knew who I was?” Bram asked. He walked towards his bed, sat down, and looked at Simon expectantly.

“Yeah,” Simon said. He glanced at Bram uncertainly. When Bram nodded, Simon sat down next to him on his bed. “Your mom kind of gave you away when we bumped into each other at the grocery store.”

“That was almost five months ago,” Bram pointed out.

“Yeah, well I didn’t think you were ready,” Simon explained. “And I didn’t think you knew who I was. I was…” He weaved his fingers in and out of each other while he gathered his thoughts.

“Afraid? Afraid that if I knew who you were, I would be disappointed? Or that you would push me into doing something I wasn’t ready to do?” Bram finished.

“You’re kidding me. Do you mean to tell me that we’ve been both been keeping each other in the dark about a secret because we were afraid of how the other would react? And we both already freaking knew?” Simon asked. “I can’t believe this.”

“I really didn’t think you knew,” Bram muttered. “I was so frustrated, because I was dropping hints right and left and you just weren’t picking up on it.”

“I thought it was unintentional. We had been spending a lot of time together. It’s hard to remember what we talked about over email or when we were together,” Simon said with a shrug. “I was doing the same thing though. I couldn’t believe you hadn’t figured it out. How long have you known?”

“I suspected around Halloween, but I didn’t know for sure until that post,” Bram admitted. “How did my mom give me away? She doesn’t know anything about my emails.”

“Did she really used to call you blueberry?” Simon asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

Bram looked at him horrified. “She did not tell you that,” he groaned. “I was like four and that has nothing to do with my email name… well, not really. I used to call myself Blue, because there was this kid in my preschool named RJ. I thought how he shortened his name was the coolest thing and when he told me I couldn’t call myself BL because it sounded stupid and it was longer than my regular name, I turned it into Blue for Bram Louis. For like three days my whole class called me it. That completely shut down RJ and was so worth the meeting my teacher had with my parents. It was one of the proudest moments of my four-year-old self.”

“I don’t know whether to laugh or feel really, really bad for you,” Simon teased.

“Neither. RJ was a jerk,” Bram said with a shrug. “And kids say the darndest things. My mom was the one who decided to make it this big thing. She called me her blueberry until I was old enough to tell her I was embarrassed by it. Even now, she’ll still call me it, but usually not in public.”

“I think it’s cute,” Simon said with a grin. He suddenly felt bold. “Just not as cute as you are.”

Bram turned a deep red and looked down. “I don’t know about that.”

Simon lifted Bram’s head. “I do.” He looked deep into Bram’s eyes. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he knew he could have looked forever and have been completely content with that.

He was suddenly distracted by Bram’s lips on his.

Simon didn’t think he would ever be able to capture how amazing the kiss was with words. It was like Reese’s and Oreos and waffles, mixed with something that made him feel like Bram’s lips were the only thing holding him together. It was lust and longing and desire. He didn’t even care if those all meant the same thing, because just one wasn’t enough to describe how much he wanted more. Always more.

He’d kissed girls before and he knew that Bram had as well, but none of those kisses held a match to this one. This was the first kiss that made him forget about the world around him. It was the first one that left him feeling such an intense happiness he thought his heart would jump out of his chest. There was no room to be self-conscious or worry about if his hands were in the right place.

He couldn’t think about anything else but the kiss.

When they broke apart, Simon was panting and it kind of made him happy to see Bram was too. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only one that had been so lost in the kiss, breathing was a secondary concern.

There was a strange tension in the air around them. It wasn’t unpleasant. It was more like neither of them knew what to say after sharing a kiss like that.

“Simon?” Bram asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?” Simon looked up at him curiously. He sounded weird.

“I love you.” Bram’s words reverberated through Simon.

He closed his eyes and took a moment to enjoy the sudden warmth rushing through his body. “I love you too.” He opened his eyes and a smile crossed his face. He couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, I was planning on telling you tonight. It seems so freaking weird now that I spent my whole day freaking out about how to tell you and now…”

“Now we know we love each other,” Bram finished.

“Yeah. That. Ugh, Garrett’s gonna have a field day with this,” Simon groaned.

“We should probably spare him some of the details,” Bram agreed. He shook his head, the small smile on his face only growing. “I guess I should have listened to him when he said I should have asked you out for Valentine’s Day.”

“Or any of the hundred times he’s brought it up since then?” Simon added. “It can’t only be me he’s harassing.”

“It’s not. He actually gave me this huge metaphor last week about this movie he saw. The moral was that if I didn’t tell you how I felt, eventually you would move on. It freaked me out enough that, believe it or not, I was planning on telling you I was Blue tonight,” Bram mused.

“Yeah, we definitely don’t tell Garrett that. He will never let us live that down.” Simon shook his head, but neither of them could quite mask their affection for Garrett. “One thing that we probably should tell Garrett is what we are… which is…?”

“Yeah, he’s definitely earned that. I’m all in if you are,” Bram said.

“All in,” Simon sighed. “But what does that make us.”

“Whatever you want,” Bram promised.

“Boyfriends?” Simon asked uncertainly.

“Boyfriends.” Bram smiled big. “That sounds really good to me.”

“Me too,” Simon agreed. With that, they found a much better way to occupy their time together. They were still tangled in one another’s arms when someone knocked on the door.

“Yo, love birds,” Garrett called. “I’m heading out.” There was a slight pause. “Use a condom.”

“Ugh,” Simon said, pulling himself apart from Bram. “That’s one way to draw us out.” Simon walked towards the door and opened it. “Fully clothed, see? Nothing happening in here.”

“I swear I’m like going to scream if the two of you didn’t talk,” Garrett said angrily.

“So just because we’re not having sex, you assume that we didn’t talk?” Bram asked incredulously. “You’ve got a weird mind man.”

“So you did talk?” Garrett confirmed.

“Yes,” Simon said. “Among other things… nothing that requires a condom,” he added hastily after seeing the look on Garrett’s face. “We’re gonna be official. Boyfriends.”

“Finally!” Garrett stretched his arms and span in a circle. “Woo!”

“Okay,” Simon said. “That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

“Are you kidding? For almost five months I’ve watched the two of you shamelessly flirt with each other and you’ve done nothing about it! I’ve never been so frustrated with two people before in my life. I’ve earned the right to do this!” Garrett span in another circle. “In all seriousness, I do have to go. I few guys had one drink too many and I’m the designated babysitter tonight, so I’ve got to get them home.” He glanced between the two of them. “One more.” He span in one more circle then left and closed the door behind him.

“I just realized something,” Simon said.

“What?”

“We have to tell our parents.” Simon turned towards Bram nervously. Their parents knew both of them were gay, but coming out and introducing his boyfriend to them would be very different things.

“Can we not worry about that right now?” Bram asked. “There are many other things I would rather be doing.”

It didn’t take long for Simon to catch up with him.

The next morning, Simon and Bram were having lunch with Simon’s family.

“I need to tell you something,” Simon said when there was a lull in the conversation. “You’re gonna be seeing a lot more of Bram.”

“How is that even possible?” his dad asked. “He spends almost half his time here.”

“Yeah, well.” Simon squirmed uncomfortably. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh honey, thank you for finally telling us, but we did kind of figure that one out already,” his mom said gently.

“What do you mean you figured it out already? We only talked about this last night.” Simon looked back and forth between both of his parents.

“That’s what we meant,” his dad said quickly. “We figured it out… since last night.”

“Did the two of you think we were already dating?” Simon asked. He wasn’t able to wrap his head around that.

“Well… it’s just the two of you were so close and we thought…” His mom started to say. She looked at his dad hesitantly.

“Mistakenly thought,” his dad interjected.

“Yes. mistakenly thought that the two of you were… flirting?” His mom finished like it was a question.

Simon groaned. Had they really been that obvious? “And you never said anything?”

“We thought you didn’t want titles or you didn’t want to make a big deal about it and when you never said anything…” his mom shrugged. “This was new to all of us, so we wanted to follow your lead.”

Simon was torn. On the one hand, he felt grateful that his parents had been so okay with him being gay that they were okay with not making a big deal about a boyfriend. It wasn’t like them to let anything go and it made him appreciate their efforts even more. On the other hand, he was a little mortified that he had been so obvious.

“Thanks,” he said after a moment. “Seriously. It’s so freaking amazing how much you are on board with this.”

“Of course we’re on board with this,” his dad assured him. “We love you kid. Nothing will change that. We love Bram too.”

Simon made eye contact with Bram and smiled. They were pretty lucky.

Simon’s parents’ reactions made them very optimistic as they prepared to tell Bram’s mom. She was coming back Sunday afternoon, so they planned to do it at dinner.

“She’s gonna say ‘finally’,” Simon said as he was sitting in Bram’s bedroom waiting for dinner to be delivered. “She’s gonna be just like my parents. She’s gonna think we’ve been dating for forever.”

“She’s not. Your parents got lucky,” Bram assured him. In truth, he wasn’t sure how much his mom had picked up on, but Simon seemed really freaked out about this for some reason. “Why are you so worked up about this?”

“Because if we were this obvious and our parents noticed…” Simon cut himself off and looked down. “What if I outed you at school. What if I was so obvious our classmates figured it out?”

“Then my job on Monday will be so much easier,” Bram said slowly. He had never considered that Simon might feel guilt over something like that. “And if they do know, it’s as much my fault as it is yours. I wasn’t exactly subtle in my flirting either. Plus, I think I made it pretty obvious last night.”

“I know… I just know you weren’t ready…”

Bram interrupted him. “I was. I really was. I don’t know what I was waiting for. Maybe something like this, but if I’m being honest, I’ve been ready for awhile,” he promised.

“As long as you’re sure,” Simon said slowly.

“If I’m sure about anything, it’s that I am ready to be out if it means I also get to be with you.” It was impossible to doubt him, because sincerity rang out in every word.

“Okay,” Simon said.

The doorbell rang before either of them could say anything else. “Simon? Bram? Dinner!” Bram’s mom called after a minute.

Bram was suddenly nervous. Despite what he had told Simon earlier, Bram had no idea how his mom was going to take it.

She was midbite into a piece of pizza when Bram blurted it out. “Simon’s my boyfriend.”

She looked between them thoughtfully, swallowed, and stood up. Bram shrunk back in his seat, unsure of what she was doing. He worried for nothing, because she engulfed the two of them in a hug. “Finally.”

Simon looked at Bram and raised his eyebrows. His expression quite clearly ‘I told you so’, but the rest of him was in full agreement with Bram’s mom and his own parents and Garrett. As he and Bram maintained eye contact, Simon could only think, “Finally!”


End file.
